Memory and the medial temporal lobe: Differentiating the contribution of the primate rhinal cortex

Neural structures in the primate medial temporal lobe are known to play a critical role in memory formation. The involvement of these structures in memory was discovered as a result of the severe amnesia in the patient H.M. following bilateral resection of the medial temporal lobes, in an attempt to treat his intractible epilepsy (Corkin, 1984; Scoville & Milner, 1957). Subsequent experimental studies have attempted to resolve the contribution of different structures within the medial temporal lobe to particular aspects of memory function.